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Abstract

We demonstrate a hysteresis-free polymer-stabilized blue phase liquid crystals (PSBP-LCs) using thermal recycles by means of enlarging the domain size of PSBP-LC and improving the uniformity of the crystal orientations of PSBP-LC. The crystal growth of PSBP-LCs bases on a competition between the heterogeneous nucleation and the homogeneous nucleation is also demonstrated and discussed. This study opens a new window for understanding the hysteresis of the PSBP-LC and assisting in designing many PSBP-LC-based photonic devices, such as displays, electro-optical switches, and electrically tunable focusing LC lenses.

Figures (6)

The observed morphologies of PSBP-LC samples at 28 °C when the samples were photo-polymerized at the (a) 0th, (b) 5th and (c) 10th thermal recycle. The morphologies of the PSBP-LC samples (d) right before and (e) right after the 5th thermal recycling processes, respectively. (f) The morphologies of the PSBP-LC sample when the sample was photo-polymerized after the crystal re-growth was completed. The thermal rates were 0.5 °C min−1.

The area ratio of the PSBP-LCs as a function of the number of thermal recycles. Blue dots line represents the crystal plan of (2, 2, 0) and black squares represent the other crystal planes. The thermal rate was 0.5 °C min−1.

The illustrated mechanism of PSBP-LC under the thermal recycles. (a) The unit cell of PSBP-LC. (b) The PSBP-LC cell has blue phase (the crystal planes of (2, 2, 0), (2, 1, 1) and the others) and isotropic phase (gray region). (c) When the temperature decreases, the number of all color cubes grows. (d) When the temperature increases, the number of all color cubes decreases. (e) When the temperature decreases again, the number of all color cubes re-grow again. (f) After several thermal recycles, the area of blue cubes is enlarged and the area of the other color cubes is reduced.

The voltage-dependent transmittance of PSBP-LCs with an increasing voltage (red and gray lines) and a decreasing voltage (pink and black line). “With TR” stands for “with the thermal recycles” and “W/O TR” stands for “without the thermal recycles”.